


You're So Beautiful

by peacenik_jesus



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 08:07:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacenik_jesus/pseuds/peacenik_jesus
Summary: Tumblr prompt: "You're so Beautiful."





	You're So Beautiful

Everything had changed after Rick’s death. Maggie and Michonne had grown so unyielding to each other, that boundaries were established to keep Hilltop and Alexandria out of each other’s territory. Anyone caught fraternizing with the other community, would face harsh consequences.

When Maggie announced she was leaving Hilltop to go help Georgie with another community, Jesus had reluctantly agreed to take over for her until she returned…a decision he regretted daily. He hated being the one to make the tough calls, to tell one person they were wrong and another they were right, but mostly he hated how isolated and boxed in he felt. He couldn’t leave Hilltop without a security detail, which meant he was rarely alone. Tara was usually nipping at heels, reminding him about all the things he still hadn’t made a decision on. He could constantly hear Gregory in his head making snide comments about how this place was falling apart, thanks to Jesus.

He was miserable. Beyond miserable. He felt…alone. He could see the contrariety in that, given that he was never actually alone, but he wished he had someone to talk to; someone that he could confide in, that might be _his_ advisor the way he had been to Maggie. There was only one face that always came to mind when Jesus thought about needing a confidant… Aaron. Jesus missed their easy camaraderie, Aaron’s humor, his company. They had been on herd control together back when the communities were still working together. Aaron had always been a good listener, offering his own sage advice when Jesus sought it. A favor Jesus repaid whenever Aaron needed his counsel.

Standing on the balcony of Barrington House, Jesus scanned his domain forlornly before he caught sight of the scruffy roughneck, who was loading up his gear on his bike. An idea niggled its way into Jesus’ mind and he swept back inside, quickly penning a note before he hurried out to catch Daryl before he left. Daryl looked up as he approached, giving an upward nod of his head in acknowledgement.

“You headed out already?”

“Yeah, need to check my traps and snares.”

“Would you do something for me?” Daryl looked at him warily and Jesus held up the note between his middle and forefinger. “Deliver this to Aaron?”

“That it?”

Jesus nodded. “Will you do it? Before you go back to your campsite?”

“Yeah, sure.” Daryl snatched the note and stuffed it into his bag before he secured the rest of his stuff, giving another upward nod to Jesus. “See ya.”

“Take care, Daryl.”

The bike roared to life, sounding more like an angry bee than anything else, and Jesus watched as he made his way beyond the gates, quietly hoping Aaron would get the note, and would agree to the offer Jesus had made.

Waiting was agony. He was anxious, but trying not to let it show. No one could know about the note or its contents, or he’d never make it out the gate alone, and it would have all been for naught. The only way Jesus would have confirmation that Aaron had agreed to the offer would be if Aaron showed up to the proposed clandestine meeting. 

The night before the meeting, Jesus couldn’t sleep. He laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, playing out every possible scenario that he could think of. After his daily meeting with Tara about what business he was supposed to attend to, Jesus was able to come up with a semi-convincing cover about needing to take something out to Daryl that the archer had left behind. Tara had argued about him going alone, but in the end, Jesus convinced her it would be a quick trip and that if anything happened, she could hold it over his head for the rest of his life. She relented, but begrudgingly.

Making sure he wasn’t followed, Jesus veered off the main road to head towards the rendezvous point. He was anxious, hopeful, apprehensive, and worried all at the same time, still unsure if Aaron would come, or even if he’d come alone. When he reached a field surrounded by a grove of trees, Jesus dismounted, letting the horse graze on the tall green grass as he sat in the shade of a tree to wait.

He knew he kept anxiously looking in the direction Aaron should be coming from, so he closed his eyes and tried to meditate instead, thinking of what exactly he would say if Aaron did come. He’d been vague in his message, not knowing if it might be intercepted or seen by others, so he was sure that Aaron was curious about the summons. 

The whinny of another horse made Jesus’ heart leap into his throat and he opened his eyes to see Aaron trotting his way. The smile that formed on his face was instantaneous, and he knew it was the first time he’d smiled in months. Aaron was smiling just as brightly, and pulled to a stop a few feet away. “Hey stranger, come to these parts often?”

“I’m so glad you came, Aaron.”

Aaron dismounted his horse and moved towards Jesus with outstretched arms. Jesus met him halfway, and found himself wrapped in one of the best hugs he’d ever had in his entire life. He actually hated for it to end, but Aaron was pulling back all too soon. “So what’s with the cryptic message? Is everything okay? Is Maggie okay?”

 _Oh right_ …No one knew about Maggie’s decision to leave. “Um. I think so. I hope so. Come here, sit down, there’s a lot I want to talk about and you’re the only one I know who will listen.”

They sat under the tree as Jesus filled him in on Maggie, his taking over leadership of Hilltop, and anxiety he had about running the community. Aaron listened intently, lounging back on his elbow, his eyes never leaving Jesus’ face. Finally, Jesus came to the part of the plan he hadn’t exactly fleshed out. “I want to find a way to bring the communities back together. The borders never made sense—it was a grudge match between Michonne and Maggie, but we all suffer from it.”

“A lot of us want the same thing,” Aaron told him. “But Michonne… she doesn’t want to hear it. Which leaves us with the question…”

“Of what to do.”

“Exactly.”

Jesus thought for a moment, unsure about his next words. “What if…we keep meeting? In secret. We can keep each other up to date on what’s happening, try to strategize about how to bring everyone together…talk.”

“I especially like that last part,” Aaron said with a soft smile. “I’ve missed talking to you.”

Jesus looked down with a bashful smile. “Yeah, I have too.”

“Okay,” Aaron said, drawing Jesus’ eyes back up. “Let’s do it. But I have one condition.”

“Name it.”

“I want you to teach me how to fight. _Really_ fight.”

“Deal. We can start right now, if you want.”

Aaron gave him a look of surprise. “Really? Now?”

Jesus offered a shrug. “Sure. The only thing waiting for me back at Hilltop is more decisions I don’t want to make.”

Aaron laughed. “You know you’re going to have to make some decisions, don’t you? Hilltop needs a good, strong leader.”

“Then Maggie definitely left the wrong person in charge.”

“No,” Aaron shook his head. “I disagree. You’re exactly what Hilltop needs; you just need to believe it. You’re fair, reasonable, you value justice and equality. Those are the marks of a good leader. Not only that, but the people trust you, they look to you for guidance.”

“Leaders should _want_ to lead. I don’t.”

“Not always, my friend. Some leaders are born, some have greatness thrust upon them.”

“Are you trying to quote Shakespeare at me?” Jesus laughed softly.

Aaron merely smirked in response, and pulled himself to his feet, bouncing from foot to foot like a boxer. “So, what’s my first lesson?”

Jesus laughed softly at his exuberance, getting to his feet and shucking his leather trenchcoat. “Lesson one: Don’t dance around.”

Aaron laughed softly, but stopped bouncing, listening as Jesus gave him the six basic principles of being a good fighter: Awareness, Practice, Patience, Mobility, Commitment, and Versatility. Each principal had a subset of rules that Jesus promised he would teach Aaron as their lessons progressed.

“Your legs are your powerhouse. If your arms get tired, drop your guard. If your mind gets tired, stop thinking. But if your legs get tired and you stop moving, you lose. The goal isn’t to win; it’s simply to _not_ lose.”

“Isn’t that...winning?” Aaron failed to see how not losing was also not not winning.

“If all you think about is winning the fight, it subconsciously changes _how_ you fight. If you think about not losing, suddenly you become more aware, you anticipate where the next strike or kick is going to be so you can dodge it or block. You become a better fighter.”

“That makes sense.”

“Since our powerhouse is our…” Jesus looked to Aaron, prompting him to answer.

“Legs?”

He nodded, “We’re going to practice footwork and stances first.” 

“You mean I don’t even get to throw a punch?” Aaron asked with mock disappointment.

“You really want to throw a punch?”

“I mean...it’s not that I want to punch you in the face, it’s just…” Aaron shrugged with a cringe, knowing how bad that sounded.

Jesus laughed and stood in a ready stance, holding his hands up in front of his face to give Aaron a target to aim for. “Give it your best shot.”

Aaron put his hands up close to his face and threw a jab at the target. With lightning fast reflexes, Jesus’ hands gripped his fist and wrist, forcing Aaron’s arm in towards his chest and sweeping both of Aaron’s feet out from under him. Aaron landed on his backside with a grunt, dazed for several seconds.

“See? That’s the shit I want to learn from you.”

Jesus threw his head back with a laugh, reaching down to help Aaron to his feet. 

They practiced stances and basic footwork for a little over an hour before Aaron had to stop, the muscles in his thighs burning. They sat while he recovered a little, just talking. Jesus felt happier than he had in a long time.

“I guess we can’t meet like this every day,” he could hear the disappointment in his own voice.

“Yeah,” Aaron replied softly. Jesus could hear a hint of disappointment in his tone as well. “What about every week? Or every other week? We could pick a day and time and have that be just for us.”

 _Just for us_. Jesus liked the sound of that more than he knew he should. “We should probably have a waiting window. If one of us isn’t here by a certain time, then we know the other couldn’t get away. That way if I get held up, you won’t be waiting out here all day for me to show up.”

“Makes you miss the days of texting, doesn’t it? It was so much easier to just fire off a text of ‘hey, gonna be late’ or ‘can’t make it.’”

“Definitely, but then I’d be texting you in the middle of the night to see if you’re still awake because I can’t sleep.”

“Are you saying I’d be a cure for your insomnia?” Aaron chuckled.

“Hey, I gotta take what I can get,” Jesus joked with a laugh, then shook his head. “No, you’re just the only one I can really talk to. I feel like I don’t have to put on a front around you.”

“I”m glad you feel that way. I’d hate to have to change my opinion of you if I found out this was all an act.”

Jesus could feel himself blushing slightly, wondering exactly what Aaron’s opinion of him was. He smiled and pulled his coat back on, getting to his feet. “We’d better call it a day. I have to get back before Tara sends a search party for me.” As they headed to the horses, getting ready to mount up, Jesus paused and turned to Aaron. “Thank you again, by the way. For agreeing to meet with me.”

“I’m just glad you reached out to me. Even if we can’t get the communities to reunite, getting to hang out with you is worth it.”

Those words echoed in Jesus’ head the entire way back to Hilltop, and the entire week that followed until their agreed upon day came around. He’d spent a good majority of the week thinking up a list of excuses he could make if he was cornered by Tara, but luck was on his side that day--she had been occupied with something else and he’d been able to saddle his horse and ride out before she took notice.

Jesus knew he was anxious with anticipation as he waited for Aaron. He had been looking forward to this all week. The clandestine meetings gave him something to look forward to, some purpose other than telling people what to do. When he spotted Aaron’s horse in the distance, he quickly hid behind the trunk of a large tree, out of Aaron’s line of sight. He heard the man pull his horse to a stop and dismount. He couldn’t help but grin when Aaron called for him, a tinge of worry in his voice. Peeking around the tree, he waited until Aaron’s back was to him, then ran with silent steps, leaping onto Aaron’s back, arms and legs wrapping around the other man.

Aaron stumbled but caught his balance, automatically reaching back with his good hand to grip the back of Jesus’ thigh to support the other man. Jesus’ mouth was close to his ear as he held tight. “Always be aware of your surroundings.”

“Alright, sensei, how do I do that in the open like this?” Aaron smirked, still holding onto Jesus.

Unwrapping his legs from around Aaron’s waist, he slid off the other man’s back. “You have to ‘see’ with more than just your eyes. You have to listen--really listen. Close your eyes. I’m going to move to another spot, and I want you to find me just by listening, just by sensing it.”

“You will stop me before I run into a tree, right?”

Jesus laughed softly. “Yes.”

Aaron closed his eyes. Jesus walked backwards several paces, with normal footfalls, letting the grass rustle around his ankles, then he took several paces to his left with quieter footfalls so that there was barely any sound. “When do I know to start searching?”

Jesus smirked, knowing he couldn’t answer without giving up his location. Aaron seemed to realize it at the same time.

“Dumb question, don’t answer that. I mean, obviously you weren’t going to, but...just in case you felt bad for not answer it.”

Jesus pulled his lips in together to keep from laughing out loud. Had Aaron always been this adorably awkward? It was incredibly endearing. He watched Aaron start to move forward, hand blindly searching in front of him. When he was parallel with him, Jesus intentionally stepped on a twig to snap it. Aaron’s head inclined towards the sound and he started to move in Jesus’ direction. His hand stopped moving wildly around, stretched out just enough so that he would stop before he ran face-first into something. Jesus stayed rooted to the spot, wondering how close Aaron would get before he sensed him. He could see that Aaron was breathing through his mouth, and he wanted to tell him to breathe through his nose and use his sense of smell, but he let it go for now.

Aaron’s hand came in contact with his chest, and the other man stopped just a foot away, opening his eyes and grinning at his accomplishment. “Do I get a gold star?”

Jesus laughed softly. “Tell me what your senses told you.”

“That I really don’t want to ever go blind,” Aaron quipped, making Jesus laugh again. Aaron’s hand finally dropped from Jesus’ chest as he told him how he could hear the grass moving and the twig snapping.

“You did really good, but I noticed one thing--you were breathing through your mouth. Breathe through your nose, use your sense of smell. Train all of your senses to work together, so you see, hear, and smell everything around you.”

“And if I still get ambushed by little ninja assassins?” Aaron smirked.

“Better hope they’re friendly.” Jesus clapped Aaron on the shoulder. 

They reviewed his footwork and stances, Aaron eager to show he’d been practicing in his bedroom at night, then Jesus showed him some basic punches and blocks. They practiced slowly side by side through a series of punches, blocks and footwork, with Jesus verbally instructing him. When Aaron was performing the sequences without verbal guidance, Jesus faced off against him, and they practiced slowly as opponents, with Aaron moving through the motions of a punch, Jesus moving through the motions of a block, and vice versa.

“I feel like this is how it looks when sloths fight.”

Jesus couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. “No way. They’re way better fighters than this.”

Aaron looked both taken aback and amused. “Did you just say a sloth fights better than me?”

“Prove me wrong,” the smirk became challenging.

Aaron accepted the challenge, his punches and jabs becoming faster, but still easily blocked by Jesus. When they switched roles, Jesus intentionally moved faster than Aaron could block, landing controlled jabs that he knew wouldn’t hurt Aaron.

“Goddamnit!” Aaron was laughing despite his frustration, and tried to hook his leg behind Jesus’ in an attempt to drop him, but Jesus countered that as well, sidestepping the leg, and sweeping Aaron’s feet out from under him instead. This time when Aaron fell backwards, he gripped the front of Jesus’ shirt, and pulled him down as well.

Jesus landed heavily on top of Aaron, unable to control the unexpected fall. He managed to brace himself against the impact somewhat with his hands against Aaron’s shoulders, but the lower half of his body came down hard on Aaron, and the other man grunted under him, still laughing, hand still fisted around Jesus’ shirt. Jesus couldn’t help but laugh as well, shifting so that his knees were on either side of Aaron’s hips, taking the weight of himself off the other man.

“I really thought I had you there for a minute,” Aaron grinned, making no move to get up, though he did release the front of Jesus’ shirt, only to slide his hand down to the man’s hip.

The touch seemed to make them both very aware of each other and their current position. Their gazes were locked, breath still slightly ragged from exertion. Jesus could feel the heat of Aaron’s body between his legs and under his hands, still resting on Aaron’s shoulders. Warning bells were going off in his head, and he knew they were encroaching on dangerous territory. When the urge to lean down and kiss Aaron grew stronger, Paul forced himself to move off the other man and get to his feet.

He reached a hand down to Aaron to help him up. “Same time next week?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Aaron nodded, obviously feeling as awkward as Jesus did in that moment.

It was only after they parted ways that Jesus realized they hadn’t even discussed strategies and ideas about bringing the communities together. He had laughed almost all the way back to Hilltop, feeling like an idiot, but also feeling somewhat exhilarated by that moment between them.

The week that followed had been nothing short of hell, with problem after problem that he couldn’t put off making decisions on. On the morning of the day he was supposed to meet with Aaron, he’d been alerted to a sizable herd making their way towards Hilltop. Gathering a team, they had spent the day rerouting the herd in a different direction, away from any of the communities. By the time they were in the clear, it was well past the agreed upon waiting period. Aaron would have given up waiting on him. 

Given the way their last meeting had ended, he hoped Aaron didn’t think he hadn’t shown up out of avoidance. He was half tempted to ride to Alexandria just to make sure Aaron knew that, but also knew that would defeat the purpose of meeting in secret. He’d have to wait until next week and explain.

Next week came, and this time it was Aaron who hadn’t shown. Jesus waited well beyond their waiting period in hopes that maybe Aaron still might try to make it, but when evening came and the sun was starting to set, he knew Aaron wasn’t coming. He felt even more anxious than he had since missing their last meeting, and the following week seemed to crawl.

Tara had been up his ass with that damn notebook and her lists, and Jesus was starting to get overwhelmed by it all. He didn’t even give Tara an explanation when he rode at a cantor out of the gates of Hilltop hours before he was supposed to meet with Aaron.

He’d laid in the tall grass, soaking up the quiet and letting the stress of managing the community melt away. The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze blew across him in a cool caress. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but the next thing he knew, he was being gently shaken by the shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Aaron kneeling down beside him with a worried look.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Aaron breathed a sigh of relief, falling back on his ass. “I ride up and all I see is you lying in the grass not moving.”

Jesus pulled himself up, sitting cross-legged and rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t planned on falling asleep. I’ve been out here most of the day. I needed to get out of there before I lost my mind.”

“Everything okay?” Aaron asked, genuinely concerned. 

Jesus told him about the week from hell that had kept him from making their meeting, and the past week with Tara nagging him. “I can’t do it, Aaron. I’m not cut out for this.”

“Do you have people you can delegate to? Put people in charge of certain areas. We developed a council in Alexandria. We each have our assigned areas that we make judgement calls and decisions for, and the council meets weekly to discuss bigger decisions that affect the community as a whole. You can’t run it on your own, Jesus. And it doesn’t make you a bad leader if you ask others for help.”

Jesus nodded with a sigh. “I’ll try.” 

Aaron reached over and gave his knee a squeeze with an encouraging smile. “I’m the one that has to apologize for last week. Gracie was sick. I didn’t feel right leaving her home alone.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little fever and stomach bug, but it worked its way out pretty quickly. I know it’s stupid, but it’s still terrifying any time she catches a cold or gets sick. I have that anxiety that it’s going to be something her body won’t be able to fight off.”

“That’s not stupid at all. I think any good parent would have the same fears.”

“Thank you for not thinking I’m completely irrational.” Aaron plunked a little sack between them and opened it. “Sunflower seeds.” He said by way of offer. “I had an idea about how we might bring the communities together, but I don’t know how well it’s going to fly.”

Jesus reached in the bag and pulled out a few sunflower seeds, holding them in one cupped hand as he as he ate them one at a time. “Shoot. Any idea is better than no ideas, which is what I have so far.”

“What if Alexandria holds like a fair or something? Games, contests, food, that sort of thing. We could invite all the communities in, everyone bring some item to trade or share with the others.” He munched on a seed, furrowing his brow slightly. “Is that lame?”

“No, I think it’s great!” Jesus exclaimed. “I’m sure I can get The Kingdom on board with it, and hopefully Hilltop as well. If you can get Alexandria and Oceanside on board, I think it could work.”

They talked about the possibilities, details, fleshing the idea out so they’d have something to take back to the communities to inspire the others with, then lapsed into a comfortable, meandering conversation. They were both lounging in the sun, propped up on their elbows, facing one another. It was nice to just sit and talk with Aaron, even if they should have been working on his fighting skills. 

Aaron sat up a little, reaching his hand out to gently pluck a stray piece of grass from Jesus’ hair, making the other man furrow his brow with a soft laugh. “How long has that been in my hair?”

“The whole time,” Aaron smirked. 

Jesus felt himself blush, and tried to cover it by reaching up and pulling his hair free from the elastic band holding it in a bun at the back of his head, finger combing the locks to brush out any other bits of earth adorning his head. Aaron was watching him with strange expression. Jesus felt somewhat self conscious under the intensity of the gaze. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful,” Aaron murmured, realizing immediately what he’d said and trying to backtrack. “I mean...your hair. You have beautiful hair. I have major hair envy.”  
The compliment--whether meant for his appearance, his hair, or both--was sweet, and Aaron’s awkward clarification made him smile. “Either way...thank you. Your hair’s pretty rad too, though.”

“Uh huh,” Aaron said, skeptically. “You do see my hair, right? Yours grows down...mine grows up. There’s so many curls and waves that I can’t run my fingers through it like you’re doing. If I tried to grow my hair long like yours, I’d just look like Bob Ross.”

A full-bellied laugh erupted from Jesus at that, and he fell back in the grass, shaking with laughter.

“Oh, that’s funny, is it?” Aaron scoffed playfully, throwing himself at Jesus to pin him down in a hold with his metal arm over Jesus’ chest as his hand attacked his ribs. Jesus squirmed, laughing as he was tickled relentlessly, trying to push Aaron back. “Let’s see you get out of this, ninja boy!”

Getting a leg around Aaron’s waist, Jesus pulled Aaron against him, and easily rolled them, until he was pinning Aaron down.

“You weren’t supposed to make it look that easy,” Aaron growled, wrapping his metal arm around Jesus’ back, and rolling them back over so that he was on top. They vied for dominance, laughing until they were breathless, until finally Aaron gave up on his back with Jesus pinning him down by his wrists. 

Paul’s hair was a complete disaster--full of grass, tangled, and hanging in both of their faces. Aaron reached up, trying to move the hair out Jesus’ face without snarling it more. As he tucked a lock behind Paul’s ear, Aaron gazed up at the man smiling down at him. That same intoxicating heat he’d felt a few weeks ago returned, but this time Aaron embraced it.

Carding his hand through the soft, silky, albeit snarled locks, Aaron slid his hand to the back of Paul’s neck and pulled Jesus into a kiss that was fervently returned. It had been so long since Jesus had kissed anyone, he wasn’t even sure he remembered what to do, but as Aaron’s tongue slid across his lower lip, he responded automatically, welcoming it in. Aaron moaned into his mouth, his hand slipping from the back of Jesus’ neck, down his side, and to his hip.

Settling a little more firmly on top of Aaron, he could feel the man’s arousal pressed against him. Paul knew this was crazy, but he didn’t care. He had wanted this for so long without really ever admitting it to himself. He moved against Aaron’s arousal, and Aaron sucked in a breath, his hand moving to grip Jesus’ ass in encouragement. 

Pulling back from the kiss, Jesus quickly pulled his hair up out of the way, Aaron’s hips gently undulating between his legs as he pleasured himself against Jesus’ body. It was incredibly arousing, but Paul knew that full-on sex was out of the question, so he compromised. Leaning down once more, he playfully captured Aaron’s lower lip between his teeth, grazing and sucking it gently before he slowly began to slide off Aaron’s body to his right side.

Aaron groaned at the loss of the weight over him, but watched as Jesus began to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his trousers. “You know you don’t have to…” Aaron knew exactly what Jesus’ intentions were, and he wanted it more than anything, but he felt somewhat guilty.

“I know,” Jesus replied softly, sliding his hand down the front of Aaron’s underwear to stroke him as he met the other man’s gaze. “I want to.”

Aaron rested his hand on Jesus’ thigh and gave it a squeeze. Jesus tugged Aaron’s trousers down just enough to free his cock, and Aaron groaned softly as it slapped against his abdomen, fully erect. Leaning down, Jesus ran the flat of his tongue from the soft patch of hair at the base all the way to the tip. Aaron moaned and began to massage the muscles in Jesus’ thigh.

Wrapping his hand around the thick shaft, Paul guided Aaron into his mouth, taking him as deep as he was able to without gagging himself, and slowly pulling up to the tip, where his tongue swirled around, and flicked the frenulum. Aaron pushed his hips up in response.

“Fuck, that feels so good.”

Encouraged by the words, Jesus settled into a rhythm, his pace neither hurried nor tortuously slow. Gradually, Aaron’s hand moved up his body until finally he gripped the messy bun Paul had pulled back, tugging on the locks, but not painfully hard. Jesus had learned to interpret that as the crescendo of pleasure in his partners, when they’d found that wave of ecstasy that they were ready to ride in on. 

He increased the suction around Aaron’s cock, his pace quickening. Aaron moaned in response, his hips bucking up involuntarily each time Jesus had him fully in his mouth. Aaron’s hand released his hair and settled on the back of his neck once Jesus had reached the desired speed and suction.

“Fuck...yes...don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

Jesus could feel his lips starting to strain and his cheeks ache--it had been way too long since he’d done this, he was out of practice--but he didn’t dare relinquish his hold or sacrifice his speed. He knew Aaron was close, and getting closer with each passing second. The man’s blunt nails were digging into his neck; Jesus found himself hoping they would leave a lasting mark for a while.

“Paul…”

Hearing his first name in that blissful breath made him moan around Aaron. Earl was the only one who still called him Paul, and he liked when Aaron said it. He wanted to be Paul to Aaron, not Jesus. The thought was expelled as Aaron bucked his hips hard in response to the moan, nearly gagging him. He was on the precipice. 

“I’m gonna cum,” he groaned, warning the other man that if he didn’t finish him by hand, he was about to get a mouthful of cum. Jesus didn’t pull off, didn’t slow his speed or relinquish the pressure. Aaron moaned again, turned on even more by the fact that Paul was willing to let him finish in his mouth.

Seeming to know the precise moment when Aaron would peak, Jesus focused his efforts on the sensitive head, his hand stroking up and down the shaft. Aaron cried out with his release, spilling himself into the eager mouth which was continuing to milk him. For a moment, Aaron forgot how to breathe. He felt like he had ejaculated an entire gallon into Paul’s mouth, and could feel his throat working to swallow. Finally, he was spent, and his entire body went slack in the grass, panting from exertion.

Paul carefully cleaned him with his tongue, then wiped his mouth and the wetness from his beard before he moved up to kiss Aaron deeply. Aaron moaned softly, trying to return the kiss with equal fervor, but still too dazed. He managed to find a belt loop and pulled Jesus down against him, his hand holding him close.

“Was it any good?” Jesus couldn’t help but tease.

Aaron laughed weakly. “Better than good.” He licked his lips, eyes closing. “Gimme a minute and I’ll return the favor.”

“You don’t have to,” Paul blushed prettily and Aaron squinted an eye open at him. 

“Like it’s a horrible obligation.” He stroked the back of Jesus’ head before he pulled him into a lingering kiss, then echoed Paul’s earlier sentiment. “I want to.”

Jesus leaned in and captured his lips in a slow, deep kiss that had Aaron moaning softly. He liked the way Aaron kissed, the way their lips felt together. He wished they were in his bed back at Hilltop instead of on the ground in an open field, but he would take this field any day of the week if it was his only option.

“Can I make an amendment to our agreement?” Aaron asked, pulling Paul against his hip and squeezing his ass.

“What’s that?”

“Can we make this part of our meetings? Not just the messing around part, but...this. Kissing you, holding you...the intimate part of it?”

“As...friends or...boyfriends?”

“Which would you feel more comfortable with?” Aaron asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Paul’s ear.

He desperately wanted to say ‘boyfriends,’ but relationships had never worked out for him in the past. He wasn’t sure he could keep things casual with Aaron, though. Paul cared about the man too much for that. His internal struggle must have shown on his face because Aaron’s thumb caressed his cheek softly.

“You don’t have to decide right now, but...I’d be really happy with either option.”

“I know the option I want,” Jesus told him, avoiding the man’s gaze. “But I don’t want to fuck up our friendship if things don’t work out.”

“There’s an easy solution to that,” Aaron said seriously. Jesus met his gaze, waiting to hear what the solution was. Aaron smirked and offered a small shrug. “We don’t let our friendship get fucked up. No matter what happens, or doesn’t happen, between us.”

Jesus gave a soft laugh. “If only I’d thought about that first.”

Aaron grinned and caressed Paul’s cheek again. “We’ve been friends for so long, I think we’d survive exploring something more, even if it didn’t work out the way we might hope.”

“And how do you hope it would work out?”

“I guess you’ll have to agree to my new terms and find out.” Aaron told him, rolling them so that Jesus was now under him.

Paul liked the weight of the other man over him, and slipped a hand down over Aaron’s slightly exposed ass. Though the moment was serious, he couldn’t help but laugh as he brushed grass off of Aaron’s backside. “Alright,” he chuckled, trying to rein in his mirth. “I agree to the amendment. And...I’d like to see where this goes between us.”

“Will you be my mutually exclusive special friend?” Aaron asked, only partly kidding.

Jesus felt his grin growing wider and wider with each passing second. “I will. And will you be my mutually exclusive special friend?”

“I will,” Aaron smiled, lowering his head to capture Paul’s lips.

FIN?

**Author's Note:**

> If you want more to see more of this or any other drabbles, let me know. I'll try to add some chapters or sequels based on feedback.


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